The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1887-10-01

constitution, which they do not now wish Il
be altered? They prepared memorial t.
Congress, which was presented by their rep.
resentative, the late Hon. Francis Thomas
asking that body to take charge of this State
and include us in the catalogue of 'srecon.
structed States" The Republican organ
thus spoke Of it; "The present constitution
of Maryland is a disgrace to the nation and q
machine of oppression, that ought not to be
allowed to exist under Republican govern
ment. After denouncing its provisions, ii
says: The proposition of the Hon. Francis
Thomas for congressional interference will be
pressed at the present session. Il was not
.'pressed, fortunately for this people, and
now the Republicans are in favor of the per-
petuation of this constitution, which was then
so roundly denounced. They recently de-
clared in their convention against the calling
of q constitutional convention, and thus made
that an issue within their own party. The
Democratic convention had made no decla-
ration on that subject, but left the whole mat
ter to the unbiased decision of the citizen.
The second section of article IA of the
present constitution required the Legislature
to provide by law for taking, at this Novem-
Der election, the sense of the people in regard
to calling convention for altering this con-
stitution, and in obedience to that require
separately and distinctly from casting their
ballots for candidates for office. Although,
as before stated, the Democratic party, as a
party organization, had not made that one of
the subjects of its declaration of principles,
yet the Republicans say that it is a party re-
quirement that Democrats shall vote for
new constitution, and that not for the good of
the body polite, but for selfish and unworthy
purposes.
THE CANAL QUESTION.
A reason given by some member of the late
Republican State convention why certain
persons in the Democratic party wanted a
constitutional convention was to procure the
sale of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal to the
West Virginia Central Railway Company, in
which James g. Blaine, Stephen B. Elkins,
William Window, Major Alexander NJ. Shaw,
John s. Gilman and other distinguished Re-
pubIicans are large stockholders. And it has
been asserted in some newspaper that the
same company had bill before the Legisla-
ture to accomplish that purpose at the last
session. | think | speak advisedly when
say that the West Virginia Company had no
such bill before the Legislature, and certain
ly none that | ever saw or heard of, and so
far as l am concerned, the purchase has
never been suggested to me or in my pres
ence by any one connected with that road.
No bill is necessary for the sale of the Chesa-
peake and Ohio Canal, nor is it necessary to
have any new constitution to accomplish that
purpose; and for my own part, am opposed
to its sale to any railroad corporation what
ever. But it will be sold, whether we like it
or not, unless some scheme is devised to save
it. | should be glad to see il run in the in
terest of cheap transportation and as a COM
petitor to the railroads, but inasmuch as,
under the constitution of 1867, "no appropri-
alton" can be made out of the State treasury
to fill up the annual gap between the revenues
and the expenses of the canal, nothing can be
done in that regard without a constitutional
or revision. So that the canal is
in great danger to-day, and ought to be saved
10 the State. The red flag of the auctioneer
already threatens it. Five hundred thousand |
dollars of bonds are outstanding, with the |
coupons for interest for January and July, |
1887, unpaid; and if default is made in Janu-
Try, 1888, the mortgage on the canal to secure |
heir payment can be foreclosed. The fate of |
he canal, therefore, depends not on any con-
titutional convention, but upon the failure to
ray the coming January interest and upon the
lction OF the holders of q majority of these
,onds. The act of 1878, chapter So, author
zed the issue of these bonds to the extent of
800, 900 for the repair of the canal and the
mortgage of the corpus of the canal itself, as
yell as the tolls and revenues, and George S.
Brown, James Sloan, jr., and Lloyd Lowndes,
r, are appointed trustees to enforce that
mortgage whenever the company is in default
n the payment of three successive coupons
or interest, and whenever the holders of a
majority of the bonds shall demand its execu.
ion by application to court of equity for
ecree for its sale. This application depends
n the demand of the holders of the majority
hnndG IN 10 10 IL /
olds majority of these bonds, for they are
iade first lien upon all the property of the
anal company, including the canal itself.
he report of the president of the canal COM
any in January, 1886, shows a contract for
lie sale of $3.50, 200 of these bonds, (which at
nee is a majority of them,) to Robert T.
aldwin, Esq, president of the National
Bank of Baltimore, since deceas-
!, and do not doubt that these bonds are
DIV in hands other than the West Virginia
ompany. 1t will be seen, therefore, that a
opposition that a constitutional convention
necessary for the sale of the canal will not
and examination. The constitution requir- l..
the Legislature to provide at this crops,
r the taking of the sense of { our own cost
gard to the calling of DO we'll t92esction
tering this constitution, and fsethe people in
be submitted to the votel1 Convention for
On from party convention F.that question is .
r as Democratic voters fer without dicta-
neither it may be wise to dior otherwise. so
ganie law or not wiz are concerned. |
e Judgment Of the iy6U hange the preaent
ould give his honest % al be decided by
nee, unbiased by Adividual voter who
II Inc hepupheaF suffrage with intelli-
pu. taetr En- the New nconsiderate temper
pr9tesyssen1l uie u Convention, not content
q eysSse uhI.alladidates on platform loud in
is Hh;1ations of reform, make no uncer-
he :, s.aim that they are running them as
-iehtout Republicans, for the platform
uoldly announces that
''They renew their allegiance to the innda-
mental principles of their party as expressed
nv their several national conventions"